So companies need to do something different, which means that we are on the frontier of a shift in online communication and activity. The first shift was when this little online bookstore called Amazon took over eCommerce, and the second shift was when a war between MySpace and Facebook became worthy of Wall Street Journal coverage.

The third shift is already starting to take place, and it's likely that only the biggest companies (like Google and Facebook) are poised to make it, due to the resources web applications will soon require. Here is where the future of web applications is headed:

1. More automation

People are just plain tired of trying to keep up with social media. Or at least I am, and I work in social media! Web applications need to get more automated than they already are, and they need to do the obvious things I forget to do.

Like when I visit a website three times, I want my feed reader to automatically subscribe me to it. When I share posts, I want my feed reader to automatically publish those links to my Twitter account sporadically throughout the day, and a roundup of links to my blog every three days. When I comment on an article, I want my feed reader to automatically subscribe me to the comments.

As a former web software developer, I know this stuff isn't difficult, so why aren't companies doing enough of it?

2. Customized customizations

Maybe you aren't like me. Maybe you want to publish links from your feed reader to Twitter, but not to your blog. Maybe you want Twitter to get updated right when you share. Maybe you don't care what anyone else has commented, you just want to share your opinion.

Companies: it takes simple if-then statements to manage these customizations and make everyone happy. It is so easy to create these settings; it baffles me why it isn't done already. With the fast-paced creation of new web applications, your customers will find a solution to their unique problem. Make sure the solution comes from you.

3. Fully integrated management tools

My head is spinning with the number of accounts I have on social media sites. OpenID is trying to solve the problem with one login for everything, and FriendFeed is trying to aggregate accounts into a lifestream. These companies are sort of on the right track, but have a long way to go.

Meanwhile, we're all exhausted from generating useful content on all these sites. I should be able to generate content once and have it pushed everywhere else without setting up a ton of third party applications that still only do 75% of what I want. Companies that succeed will integrate with all the big web applications, not just a couple.

4. Complete solutions

I do not want to purchase a can opener; I want to purchase a swiss army knife. And then I want to be able to detach and reattach each piece, so the swiss army knife doesn't weigh as much when I carry it in my purse. Give me a full solution to my problem. I don't want to hack around with three one-off third party applications to get your product to do something useful (ahem, Twitter).

And if the big companies don't want to build it themselves, let the API companies build it, and then buy their solutions. Startups with their own product or website are out - the new way to get acquired will be through tightly integrated API development with already established communities.

5. Virality with purpose

It's a lot of work to sniff out good stuff to read and good tools to use. It's much easier when that work is done for me, by people I trust. So people need an easy way to share items, and people need to be selective in what they share so that they can really add value to their community, and going viral needs to go to content that actually deserves it.

Very very good algorithms, combined with trusted friends that I opt-in to, can take care of this - the data is there already, it just needs to be managed. Companies that create a decentralized rating system that can't be scammed will be the ones to get my business.

6. Localized communities

If it isn't clear right now why huge social networks aren't working for some types of businesses and professions, let me give you a hint. Because, as a company, creating online ties to a stranger who doesn't live in your area rarely holds enough benefit to make the relationship worth nurturing on a regular basis.

I'm not talking about reading the blog of some smart person from Boston when you live in Kansas. That's okay. I'm talking about companies trying to sell products and themselves to people halfway across the country. There is no point in connecting me to a job that suits my interests when that job is in San Francisco and I'm in Chicago. There is no point in trying to sell me a custom-made gown when I would have to fly to Florida to get measured first.

If the trend of Web 2.0 was connecting everyone to everywhere for everything, the new trend will be connecting people to other people in their area based on interests.

7. Expedited functionality

Growing slowly in social media is not an option anymore. Seriously. The way in which the world is changing is exponential, not linear. If you're not hiring a massive team of developers for your startup, you will probably not catch up to the big guns. With all the change that is coming for web companies, the most established Web 2.0 companies may be the only ones to still matter in the future of the web.

Companies, look around. There is no shortage of people with ideas to improve your web applications as we make the awkward transition into the next frontier of web applications. Above all, listen to your customers because, to be sure, there is no shortage of people with ideas to improve your competitor's products either.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.